ABSTRACT
This chapter consists of the growth of the electoral system and general elections since Independence. It is followed by the Constituent Assembly debates on the electoral system with reference to the Election Commission, the joint electorates, electoral rolls, adult suffrage, the power of Parliament to make provision with respect to elections to legislatures, the power of the legislature of a state to make provision with respect to elections and bar to interference by court. Besides, it also contains the legal framework of electoral process, political parties after Independence and the distinction between State and National Party, etc. The significant aspects of the Indian elections to the Lok Sabha from 1952 to 2014 have also been covered. To this end, it provides briefly some major aspects of elections from 1952 to 1984 and also analyses the era of coalition governments from 1989 to 2014, specifically in terms of pre-electoral and post-electoral alliances among the constituent parties.
